News, review Air New Zealand strike, staffing issues, pilots, go slow, layoffs, safety concerns, financial health, on time record . A guide to " Will they strike after I've bought my ticket and leave me stranded at the airport!."

May Day, Air New Zealand has asked management staff to "muck in" on Tasman and Pacific flights to cover for striking cabin staff next week.

10 April, 2009 Air NZ subsidiary Zeal cabin crew in mediation till next week. Union has not ruled out strike.

2 April, 2009 Strike is canceled. 9 flight attendants suspended for uniform shirking! Zeal cabin crew new uniform, feather bowers, lace gloves, pink wigs and placing stickers on their foreheads and buttocks. This began 3/28 then yesterday crews refused to let on standbys. Needless to say, this did not go down well with management.

3/24/09 Air New Zealand strike, industrial action over Easter for four days. Potential for severe flight disruptions. 20,000 passengers booked on all domestic, Trans-Tasman and Pacific flights carried out by Air New Zealand's Airbus A320 fleet.

From Saturday March 28 workers will not be following uniform policy and will be refusing to do some paperwork.

From Wednesday April 1 workers will be refusing standby. This means the company will have difficulty filling crew requirements at short notice. It should be noted that under Civil Aviation law there are minimum crew requirements that must be fulfilled before a plane is allowed to take off.

From Wednesday April 8 workers will be taking full industrial action.

Last industrial action was 2005, by flight attendants.

11/18/08 Air New Zealand announces 200 redundancies includes long haul cabin crew, recruitment, airline operations and technical operations planning and management. The carrier’s subsidiaries, including Safe Air, will also undergo restructuring with a minimum number of redundancies expected.

10/6/08 Air New Zealand will suspend services between Hamilton and Sydney and the Gold Coast from the end of March to late October next year.

9/23/08 Air New Zealand Installs Dryers to Cut Aircraft Emissions

9/20/08 Passengers travelling only with carry-on bags can skip check-in altogether and go straight to the departure gate with their boarding pass – using either their e-ticket or the boarding pass sent to their mobile phone. stuff.co.nz

Looking for baldies

9/11/08 A New Zealand airline says it is holding "casting calls" for people willing to shave their heads and become walking billboards. upi.com

9/5/08 Air New Zealand making urgent changes for Boeings

16 July 08 NZ. g air travel through New Plymouth airport is set to get worse from Friday, when Air New Zealand Link pilots go on strike for three days.

2 July 08 There is going to be a trucker strike in the centre of Auckland during the Friday AM rush hour. It starts at 7:30 am

6/6/08 Air New Zealand will raise air fares and eliminate flights on some routes in response to the high cost of fuel and declines in passenger demand.

Air New Zealand is working with US-based design organisation IDEO to create new seats it hopes will make its cabins world beaters when it refurbishes them in 2010 to take advantage of the introduction of Boeing 787-9 and 777-300ER aircraft.